


Tired

by Belsmomaus



Series: Malec - Advent Calendar 2018 [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Fatherhood, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Near Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 03:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16905231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belsmomaus/pseuds/Belsmomaus
Summary: Getting enough sleep with a baby isn’t easy. It’s even worse if said baby is an oversensitive warlock.





	Tired

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said before, I only know the show. But I've come across those adorable little boys (Max and Rafael) so often that I had to read up on them and they sneaked into my heart and therefore this series.
> 
> This story is set shortly after they adopt Max. I only changed the story a tiny little bit. Little Max was left in front of the NY Institute instead of the Academy, but that's not really relevant to the story in any way.
> 
> Have fun!

_**Tired** _

Alec

 

Alec woke up to a high pitched, pitiful wailing. _Again_!

He couldn’t help the groan. Couldn’t be bothered to help it, actually. His eyes burned with fatigue, even still closed. His every limb weighed heavy with exhaustion as if his bones were made of lead and his muscles of jelly. And his head hurt. For days now. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how much sleep he managed to get. The shrill sound currently reverberating in his head rudely awakened the almost peaceful dull throb behind his temples that quickly roared up in anger.

Without opening his eyes he reached out and nudged Magnus’ shoulder – or where he believed his shoulder to be. He could feel the warmth of his body right at his side, his arm draped across his belly. It didn’t feel like a shoulder, though, more like an upper arm. Didn’t matter. Just to be sure his fingers closed around it and gave the other another short, but firm shake.

The answering groan was all Alec wanted to hear.

“It’s your turn!” he declared, his voice rough and no match for the desperate screams that filled the room.

Magnus mumbled something, Alec could feel his lips moving against the skin of his shoulder, but he couldn’t make out the words. Wasn’t sure if it actually _were_ words. Magnus moved, his muscles tensing, his legs and arms shuffling against the bed, against Alec, rearranging themselves. There had been a time when Alec would’ve watched in adoration as his powerful warlock fought tooth and nail against waking up. There had been a time when a fond smile would’ve graced his lips at feeling Magnus cuddling even closer against him.

But not now.

The pitiful noise died down. But he knew from experience that it would flare up again in just another moment. His head kept on throbbing from that infernal frequency, though. And Magnus’ limbs grew heavy again, just as the screaming started anew.

With another groan he finally opened his eyes. His lids scraped like sandpaper against his eyeballs as he blinked a few times to focus in the twilight of the room. He looked at the alarm clock at his bedside table – 00:34 am – then quickly down, just long enough to grab Magnus’ shoulder this time around, and give him another shake. Harder than before.

A long-suffering groan sounded from his side. “Alright, alright. I’m awake.” It was slurred and sounded anything but, but Alec really didn’t care.

He watched just long enough to be sure that Magnus really got up, which he did. Sluggish and staggering. His movements held none of his usual grace, no exaggerating gestures, no flourishes. Just the uncoordinated stumbling of a tired man, who got rudely awakened.

Alec closed his eyes again and turned around, away from all the ruckus, trying to shut out the noise by sheer willpower alone.

He should feel bad about it. About pushing Magnus out of bed like that. The warlock was just as tired and exhausted as he was, after all. He should feel bad for being annoyed with Max for waking them up _yet again_ – the second time that night and it wasn’t even 1am. He was just a baby for crying out loud. A baby that was unusually sensitive to all things magic according to Magnus. The boy could feel the lingering magic of spells and portals, could feel the distant thrum of the ley lines underneath, but he was just a baby. He had no way of dealing with all that information. The kid was completely overwhelmed with sensory stimuli Alec couldn’t even begin to understand. _It wasn’t his fault_.

But right now, in the middle of the night, his body and mind at their limits, he didn’t have the energy to feel bad. Maybe it was selfish, maybe it made him a bad person, but right now he couldn’t be bothered. He only wanted to sleep. Was that too much to ask?

There were shuffling steps and the rustling of fabric and then there’s Magnus, cooing and shushing over the desperate cries. “Shh, it’s alright my little blueberry. Papa is here now.” His voice is rough and yet so incredibly gentle, like a soothing caress. A moment later he heard the door, then it clicked shut again and just like that the hiccuping cries dulled down to an easy to ignore background noise.

Alec sighed with relief.

He’s fast asleep a second later.

 

 

***

 

 

The moment Alec woke again the heavy, heartfelt groan was already on his lips, only it died as soon as he realized that there was no crying this time. On the contrary, there was absolute silence all around. Confused he blinked his eyes open, while he reached out a searching hand at the same time.

The bed next to him was empty. The sheets cold.

More alert now he pushed himself up on his elbows. His gaze swept across the room while he listened. Silvery moonlight spilled in through the window. The alarm clock read 2:07 am. It was quiet. Too quiet. Because the room was empty apart from himself. There was no Magnus. And there was no Max.

His gaze lingered on the empty crib, his heart beating faster against his ribs. He’s out of bed in a hurry, his dull headache forgotten. It took his sluggish, sleep-deprived brain a few hectic steps to finally catch up with him. Max was with Magnus. He’s safe. They’re home. He’s with Magnus. There’s no safer place than that.

Everything’s okay.

But why weren’t they back in bed, then?

Frowning he padded through the room on bare feet, opening the door. There was a faint light shining into the hallway from the living room.

“Magnus?” he asked into the quiet loft, his voice barely above a whisper.

There was no answer.

So he followed the light instead. Slowly and cautiously – the situation just out of the ordinary enough to activate his shadowhunter instincts. He spotted the light source from the hallway: the small lamp. It was just enough light to find one’s way around the big room, but barely more than that. Magnus almost never used it, but Alec had always enjoyed the warm glow of the lamp. It created a nice and cozy atmosphere, perfect for a late night cuddle. And its light complemented Magnus’ skin in ways that made Alec’s stomach flutter.

One final step and the living room opened up in front of him. And there they were, his missing boys. Right there on the couch with an empty baby bottle on the floor next to them.

Magnus was leaning back into the corner in just his dark silk pajama pants, half sitting, half lying. One of his legs was pulled up and resting against the backrest, the other one was stretched out on the floor. A white blanket covered his middle where a mop of unruly dark hair peaked out. Their son nestled comfortably against Magnus’ naked chest, sleeping peacefully, just like his Papa who held him securely in place even though he was fast asleep.

Magnus’ skin practically glowed in the dim and warm light, almost golden. A perfect contrast to Max’ blue skin and dark blue hair. Like the sun next to the night sky.

It took his breath away for a moment.

They were beautiful.

Absolutely, stunningly beautiful.

Max with his adorable little button nose. His tiny hand curled into a tight fist. His mouth slack, completely relaxed and the ever present pacifier on the verge of slipping out.

And Magnus, his hair a mess, multiple strands flopping softly against his forehead. His lips slightly parted as well.

_Like father, like son._

The thought filled Alec’s chest with warmth.

Even in sleep the exhaustion was edged deep into Magnus’ face. His skin looked paler than usual and without his make-up on there was no denying the dark circles under his eyes.

Still, to Alec he had never looked more beautiful than right now, with their son in his arms, unguarded and open and completely at peace.

Their son.

_Their son!_

It still felt unreal somehow.

It had all happened so fast.

It was still new, so very new, and it took some getting used to on so many levels. But he was _theirs_ now. That little sunshine that someone had just left in front of the Institute’s door. Beautiful and innocent and too sensitive for his own good, their precious little warlock.

The warm smile on his face felt like a balm on his soul.

And the scene in front of him was more than compensation enough for all those sleepless nights and stressful days that little Max had put them through. Magnus had assured him that it would pass, that Max just needed time to build a natural protection against those external magical influences that he picked up on. He only hoped that happened rather sooner than later. Sleep deprivation and the resulting irritation he could handle – some days better than others – but he _hated_ seeing their little boy in distress or pain.

Though, a few days ago, Magnus had assured him that Max had already started to “get a feeling” for Magnus’ magic, recognizing it as some kind of constant background noise that rarely affected him anymore.

But seeing them now, like this – his little family, _his_ little family!! – the tribulations of the past three weeks didn’t matter anymore. His exhaustion didn’t matter, not with that overwhelming warmth in his chest. That overflow of love and protectiveness that he barely knew how to handle.

Instinctively he took a step closer.

Something on the table caught his eye. A short flash. It turned out to be his phone, the display reflecting the light at a certain angle.

An idea struck his mind and that fond smile on his lips turned into a big grin.

He grabbed his phone and activated the camera. A step back, a quick click and a moment later he looked at the picture on his phone. It couldn’t compare to the real thing and yet, just imagining it in a frame on his desk at the Institute… the warmth in his chest got even warmer. And that silly grin was still all over his face as he put the phone back down again.

It only turned into a fond sigh as he realized that no matter how cute, this moment had to end. He hated to wake Magnus yet again, but the way his head was turned all the way to his side hurt just from looking at it. The warlock was already exhausted enough, he didn’t need the pains that accompanied a nap on the couch in an awkward position on top of that.

Alec knelt down on the floor next to him. With gentle fingers he pushed the errand strands out of Magnus’ face, then carded them through his hair altogether, enjoying the softness of it against his skin. He so rarely got a chance to feel it without any styling product in it. Magnus’ lips twitched into a languorous smile in his sleep and a soft, appreciative noise rumbled in his throat, almost like a purr. It reminded Alec of a cat. Biting back on a chuckle he kissed first his forehead, then his temple.

“Magnus? Time to wake up,” he said, voice gentle as not to startle him.

It took a second try as well as a few more kisses and caresses until Magnus finally woke up. He blinked a few times against the light, clearly confused and disoriented. His eyes like liquid gold, devoid of their usual glamour. “Huh?”

“You fell asleep on the couch.”

“Oh.”

Then, suddenly a bit more alert, Magnus tensed, his hand tightened around Max and he looked down at the boy, checking if he was okay. The moment he saw him sleeping peacefully he relaxed again and the most beautiful smile played across his lips. Lazy and exhausted and all the more open for it. Almost a bit woozy. Alec just wasn’t sure if from lack of sleep or plain simple happiness.

 _Probably a bit of both_ , he thought with nothing but fondness.

He kissed him again, this time on his lips, before he got up. “Come on, let’s get you both back to bed!” He beckoned with his hand and held it there, waiting, until Magnus took it and pulled himself up, careful not to jostle Max too much.

With his arm around his shoulders he led Magnus back to the bedroom. There was a quick wave of his hand, a pale flash of blue, just for a second and the soft light behind them went dark.

Magnus didn’t put Max back into his crib, instead he crawled into their bed right away where he lay down on his back, the little one still secure against his chest. The moment Alec settled down as well and pulled the blanket over them all, the boy gave a heavy sigh, as if the weight of the world rested on his little shoulders. Magnus gently stroked across Max’ dark hair, then stopped, frowned and made another quick movement with his hand like flicking his fingers, just without the sound. Blue wisps of magic swirled around his fingers for just a moment, then a pacifier appeared in his hand. The other one was gone, Alec realized. Probably fell down on their way back to the bedroom without them noticing.

He took it and placed it on the nightstand. They’d need it later on, for sure. But not right now.

Alec cuddled closer with his head on Magnus’ shoulder and allowed himself a moment to just watch their son. In the end, just watching wasn’t enough. It barely ever was. So he reached out and stroked the boy’s arm and took his little hand in his, caressing that tight fist with his thumb. And it opened up, tiny blue fingers relaxing, searching until they found his index finger and closed around it with surprising strength.

With a tired smile he pushed up once more and pressed a kiss to Max’ brow, then another one to Magnus’ slack lips – already asleep again. He lay back down, felt Magnus’ head lolling his way, felt his cheek press against his hair, felt the tight grip of baby fingers and the bubbling warmth in his chest.

_My family._

He was asleep in no time.

 

 

***

 

 

Alec startled awake, the shrill cry so much closer and louder this time.

He rolled onto his back with a groan. He could swear he’d _just_ closed his eyes a minute ago. Something blue sparked beyond his still closed eyelids and a wailing weight was dropped onto his chest. There was movement next to him as Magnus turned around, away from them. Closely followed by a rough voice, sleep-addled and slurring:

“Your son this time, Alexander.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Penny for your thoughts?!
> 
> (The next story will follow on Monday)


End file.
